WFP and China: Sharing Lessons Learned through South-South Cooperation
The World Food Programme (WFP) and Chinese Ministry of Agriculture are working more closely than ever to identify opportunities for sharing China’s vast experience in food security and nutrition with others. Representing a significant milestone in this effort, WFP and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture hosted a highly successful Demand-Driven South-South Cooperation Symposium from 11–12 May in Beijing.
The first of its kind, the symposium’s primary objective was to match China’s solutions in food security and nutrition directly to the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) Zero Hunger priorities of WFP’s partner countries around the world. With a field presence in over 80 countries, WFP is well-placed to broker exchange on South-South cooperation between China and the countries and people that we serve.
More than 120 participants from 25 WFP Country Offices and three WFP Regional Bureaux, the Chinese government, national technical agencies and research institutes attended the symposium. Participants shared their national SDG 2 priorities, experiences and perspectives on the best methods to work towards SDG 2 targets in various contexts, ideas for solutions that could be implemented locally, and ways that China could provide support. With rapid and substantial economic transformations over the past 35 years, China has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction and social development, lifting millions out of hunger and providing inspiration for countries still struggling to achieve food security.
“As we gather today for the Symposium, we have a tremendous opportunity to build on the momentum of our partnership and realize zero hunger initiatives, starting with the identification of concrete and mutually beneficial South-South opportunities,” emphasized Stanlake Samkange, Director of WFP’s Policy and Programme Division, in his opening remarks.
These opportunities — based on feedback from WFP Regional Bureaux and Country Offices — include value chain development and market access for smallholder farmers; supply chain, including post-harvest loss management and storage systems; climate adaptation, resilience, disaster risk reduction, and emergency preparedness and response; and zero hunger strategies and nutrition.
To best respond these opportunities, the WFP China Office will focus on three different levels of support for South-South and triangular cooperation: first at the policy level, providing expert advice and policy support to governments on food security and nutrition issues; second at the institutional level, with knowledge sharing through study-tours, training, technology transfers and on-line exchange platforms; and lastly at the grass root level, fostering leadership among a new generation of smallholder farmers by DAA Projects (Demonstration in Asia/Africa by Asians/Africans).
“We are right on track with the strategic goals outlined in the WFP China Country Strategic Plan for 2017–2021, launched on 28 March this year,” said Sixi Qu, Representative of WFP China Office. “Under this Plan, one of the five strategic outcomes is to facilitate countries to ‘help each other’ through South-South and triangular cooperation.” In this way, China will continue to support other countries, making the goal of a world with zero hunger more attainable.
